Stilt-step



- U ITED STATES. PATENT LEWES CpPAGKHAM AND'OHARLES L. GLINE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STlLT-STEP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,839, dated March 6, 1894.

Application died March 30, 1893 Serial No. i f l (N0 1 5 11) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, Lawns C. PACKHAM and CHARLES L. CLINE, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain newoand useful Improvements in Stilt- Steps; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyi'ng drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in stilt steps, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully set forth, and described particularly in the claim.

The invention has for its obj ect,to provide a step or foot rest for stilts, that may be readily adjusted to various heights upon the staff and securely locked in the desired position thereon without the aid of tools. The construction being such that the step serves as a cam lever, which operates in connection with a split collar that encircles the staff, and may be swung to a vertical or horizontal position with said staif to relieve or bind said collar thereto, thus rendering the parts self locking and enabling the same to be quickly adjusted to any point on the staff.

To this end our invention consists in the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of ast-ilt having our improved step attached thereto, and showing by dotted lines the manner of adjusting same. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the parts in a locked position. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the parts in a locked position. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the stafi and a plan view of the step in a locked position thereon. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the step and collar detached.

Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the stilt which may be of any suitable length and is preferably round in cross section.

B is a clip or split collar adapted to freely receive the stad A, and is provided with the adjacent ears B, B that project in parallel line from one side of said collar, and formed transversely in said ears and extending into the annular portion of the collar are the elongated openings 5 I), clearly shown in Fig. 5.

O is the foot rest or step of the stilt, which consists of a serrated foot plate 0 having the upwardly turned log or nose d, at one end, and is reinforced on the under side thereof with the web e, which terminates at the rear end of said step in the downwardly extended shank D, see Fig. 5. The upper corner of the shank D, is slightly rounded and conoaved to conform to the round of the staff, and projecting from the sides of said shank are the stems E,E, having the downwardly extended lugs E, E, formed on the outer ends thereof.

Said stems are mounted eccentrically with the rounded portion D, of the shank, and are adapted to enter the elongated openings 1) Z) of the collar, being placed therein by passing the lugs E E through the circular portions of said openings from the inside of the collar, as shown by the dotted position in Fig. 5, thus causing said stems to enter the angular portions of said openings, while the lugs thereon engage the outer faces of the ears B, B, said ears are beveled or inclined from their lower edges toward the elongated openings b, b, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. By this construction the step is permitted to swing on its stems in the ears of the collar, and acts against the stat? in the manner of a cam lever. The step being swung to the verticalposition, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1; the collar will be free to shift to any point upon the shaft, and when said step is swung down to the horizontal position, the cam or rounded portion D of the shank is brought in contact with the staff upon one side thereof, causing the stems to draw the collar against the opposite side of said staff, while the lugs E E assist to contract the collar as they swing into contact with the inclined sides of the ears B, B,and thus firmly binding said collar to the staff. The lower end of the web or shank D, abuts against the staff to limit the downward movementof the step and also assist in carrying the strain brought to bear thereon. The high portion of the cam or shank D, when the step is swung down, is carried to a point slightly above the pivotal point of said step, whereby the tendency of the strain is to force veniently adjusted and securely locked in position upon the staif is produced.

Having thus fully set forth our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is V In a step for stilts, in combination with the staff, the'collar encircling said staif, the dicheap and effectual step that may be convided ears formed on said collar, said ears having the opposed inclined sides and provided with elongated openings formed therethrough,the step havingt-he dependingshank,

the stems eccentrically mounted in said shankand adapted to engage the openings in said ears, the lugs depending from the ends of said stems and adapted to engage the inclined sides of said ears, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we alfix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

LEWES O. PACKHAM.

CHARLES L. OLINE.

Witnesses:

E. K. ROEMER, E. S. WHEELER. 

